Ultraviolette Automotive’s F77 is currently the most expensive and most powerful electric bike on the market today. We stack up both variants of the F77 against two entry level sportbikes – the BMW G 310 RR and the KTM RC390.
Ultraviolette F77 vs rivals: powertrain and acceleration
| Powertrain and acceleration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F77 Original | F77 Recon | BMW G 310 RR | KTM RC 390 | |
| Battery/Engine | 7.1kWh | 10.3kWh | Liquid-cooled, 312cc, single-cylinder | Liquid-cooled, 373cc, single-cylinder |
| Power | 27 kW (36.2hp) | 29 kW (38.9hp) | 34hp at 9,700rpm (Track/Sport) 25.8hp at 7,700rpm (Rain/Urban) | 43.5hp at 9,000rpm |
| Torque | 85 Nm | 95 Nm | 27.3 Nm at 7,700rpm (Track/Sport) 25 Nm at 6,700rpm (Rain/Urban) | 37 Nm at 7,000rpm |
| Gearbox | NA | NA | 6-speed | 6-speed |
| 0-60 kph | 3.4s (claimed) | 3.1s (claimed) | 3.23 (Sport) 3.65s (Urban) | 2.62s |
| 0-100 kph | 8.3s (claimed) | 8.0s (claimed) | 7.36s (Sport) 9.60s (Urban) | 5.85s |
While both variants of the F77 comfortably outclass the torque figures of the BMW G 310 RR and the KTM RC 390, in the sprint to 60kph and 100kph, the KTM is quicker than the F77. Even the BMW G 310 RR is only marginally slower to 60kph than the top-spec Recon variant and comfortably beats the F77 to the 100kph dash. The numbers used for the BMW and the KTM are our in-house performance tested numbers.
Ultraviolette F77 vs rivals: suspension and brakes
| Suspension and brakes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F77 Original | F77 Original | BMW G 310 RR | KTM RC 390 | |
| Suspension (f) | Preload-adjustable USD fork | Preload-adjustable USD fork | USD fork | USD fork |
| Suspension (r) | Preload-adjustable monoshock | Preload-adjustable monoshock | Preload-adjustable monoshock | Preload and rebound adjustable monoshock |
| Brakes (f) | 320mm disc | 320mm disc | 300mm disc | 320mm disc |
| Brakes (r) | 230mm disc | 230mm disc | 240mm disc | 230mm disc |
| Tyres (f) | 110/70-R17 | 110/70-R17 | 110/70-R17 | 110/70-R17 |
| Tyres (r) | 150/60-R17 | 150/60-R17 | 150/60-R17 | 150/60-R17 |
In terms of hardware, all bikes here are evenly matched, but the F77 is the only one to feature preload-adjustability at both ends. The RC 390, however, is the only bike here to feature rebound adjustability.
Ultraviolette F77 vs rivals: features
Both variants of the F77 e-bike come equipped with features such as smartphone connectivity for the TFT dash, enabling turn-by-turn navigation, music playback and notification alerts. Features such as crash detection, geofencing and vehicle location are also part of the package. The F77 has three ride modes – Glide, Combat and Ballistic. One caveat here is that the Ballistic mode can only be used if the battery is at or above 70 percent charge.
The BMW G 310 RR is equipped with four riding modes – Track, Sport, Urban and Rain – with the former two giving you access to full power and the others mellowing it down.
The KTM RC 390 is equipped with a bi-directional quickshifter, a feature you’ll have to pay at least thrice its price to get on another ICE bike.
Ultraviolette F77 vs rivals: weight and dimensions
| Weight and dimensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F77 Original | F77 Recon | BMW G 310 RR | KTM RC 390 | |
| Kerb weight | 197kg | 207kg | 174kg | 172kg |
| Seat height | 800mm | 800mm | 811mm | 834mm |
| Wheelbase | 1340mm | 1340mm | 1365mm | 1347mm |
| Fuel capacity | NA | NA | 11 litres | 13.7 litres |
| Ground clearance | 160mm | 160mm | NA | 153mm |
As can be seen from the table above, the F77 is a much heavier bike than its ICE competition. In fact, the Recon variant weighs 35kg more than the KTM RC 390! That weight penalty does decrease on the Original variant but even that, at 197kg, weighs more than a Royal Enfield Classic 350.
Ultraviolette F77 vs rivals: price
| Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F77 Original | F77 Recon | BMW G 310 RR | KTM RC 390 | |
| Price (ex-showroom, Delhi) | Rs 3.80 lakh | Rs 4.55 lakh | Rs 2.90 lakh | Rs 3.14 lakh |
Priced between Rs 3.80 lakh-4.55 lakh, the F77 e-bike is substantially more expensive to purchase than the BMW G 310 RR and the KTM RC 390, and while it does have a fair few features, it can’t really match them in terms of performance. Also, considering that a widespread charging network is yet to be established in India, the F77 can’t match the widespread usability of the other two either.
Would you pick the F77 over the other two bikes here? Let us know in the comments section below.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
